Training his whole life, Oolong is on a quest to become the ultimate champion. To fulfill his destiny, Oolong must face and defeat masters of the throwing shuriken, nunchaku, bo, chain and more at the Martial Arts Championship. With brand new enhanced graphics, hand painted backgrounds and new achievements, this classic fighting game makes a comeback in a big way.

FEATURE LIST

Choose to play the authentic arcade version or experienced the enhanced version, which features stunning hand painted models and backgrounds mimicking traditional Japanese art styles.

* Xbox LIVE leaderboards where gamers can compare scores among friends and the rest of the Xbox LIVE world

* Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore

GRAPHICS

The new and improved graphics look fantastic. They’ve remade the backgrounds, and given the characters all new art. Oolong has never looked and jumped around better, and the baddies look sweet. There’s not a big huge 3D experience here – remember this is a classic from the mid-1980s. But from the standpoint that this game is a mere 400 points, and a remake, it looks great.

SOUND

There's nothing new in terms of sound for Yie Ar Kung Fu, but the soundtrack and sound effects have been ported over and sound crisp. There’s nothing big here (again), but it works, and the sound effects are just so classic 80s gaming you’ll just fall in love with it right away.

GAME PLAY

The gameplay of Yie Ar Kung Fu is very simple and straightforward. You move around, jump either to the right or left, and have 2 buttons – kick and punch. Now, there are definite combo moves, and depending which way you have the d-pad pointed the kick or punch will be high or low. You use these maneuvers against opponents armed with special weapons. The guy named “Chain” has a chain (imagine that!), and Star throws … you guessed it … Ninja Stars! Simple, fun, and in the end pretty darn challenging.

I remember throwing in about $435 in quarters playing this game as a kid (it was my favorite game) and playing it now really takes me back to the days of the Pizza Parlor arcade. It’s not just a fun one-time nostalgic run through memory lane – the game is still fun and addictive! It’s also perfect for gaming newbies that want that fun 80s feel of simplicity in gaming.

ONLINE / MULTIPLAYER

I was stunned to see an actual multiplayer component to the game! Not only can you play with 2 players like you could in the arcade, but there’s an XBOX LIVE component to the game. Find someone else online and challenge them, and you both play through simultaneously. The person with the highest score after all their lives are gone is the winner. Full score keeping is recorded on XBOX LIVE for you to compare yourself to everyone else out there. Fun fun fun!

OVERALL IMPRESSION

For what used to be my favorite arcade game of all time, this is a wonderful new edition that stays true to the original. The graphics have been wonderfully redone, and the sounds still sound great. The multiplayer component to this game was a very pleasant surprise, and overall, this is a fantastic game to pick up for your XBOX 360.

SYNOPSIS:

Training his whole life, Oolong is on a quest to become the ultimate champion. To fulfill his destiny, Oolong must face and defeat masters of the throwing shuriken, nunchaku, bo, chain and more at the Martial Arts Championship. With brand new enhanced graphics, hand painted backgrounds and new achievements, this classic fighting game makes a comeback in a big way.

FEATURE LIST

Choose to play the authentic arcade version or experienced the enhanced version, which features stunning hand painted models and backgrounds mimicking traditional Japanese art styles.

* Xbox LIVE leaderboards where gamers can compare scores among friends and the rest of the Xbox LIVE world

* Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore

GRAPHICS

The new and improved graphics look fantastic. They’ve remade the backgrounds, and given the characters all new art. Oolong has never looked and jumped around better, and the baddies look sweet. There’s not a big huge 3D experience here – remember this is a classic from the mid-1980s. But from the standpoint that this game is a mere 400 points, and a remake, it looks great.

SOUND

There's nothing new in terms of sound for Yie Ar Kung Fu, but the soundtrack and sound effects have been ported over and sound crisp. There’s nothing big here (again), but it works, and the sound effects are just so classic 80s gaming you’ll just fall in love with it right away.

GAME PLAY

The gameplay of Yie Ar Kung Fu is very simple and straightforward. You move around, jump either to the right or left, and have 2 buttons – kick and punch. Now, there are definite combo moves, and depending which way you have the d-pad pointed the kick or punch will be high or low. You use these maneuvers against opponents armed with special weapons. The guy named “Chain” has a chain (imagine that!), and Star throws … you guessed it … Ninja Stars! Simple, fun, and in the end pretty darn challenging.

I remember throwing in about $435 in quarters playing this game as a kid (it was my favorite game) and playing it now really takes me back to the days of the Pizza Parlor arcade. It’s not just a fun one-time nostalgic run through memory lane – the game is still fun and addictive! It’s also perfect for gaming newbies that want that fun 80s feel of simplicity in gaming.

ONLINE / MULTIPLAYER

I was stunned to see an actual multiplayer component to the game! Not only can you play with 2 players like you could in the arcade, but there’s an XBOX LIVE component to the game. Find someone else online and challenge them, and you both play through simultaneously. The person with the highest score after all their lives are gone is the winner. Full score keeping is recorded on XBOX LIVE for you to compare yourself to everyone else out there. Fun fun fun!

OVERALL IMPRESSION

For what used to be my favorite arcade game of all time, this is a wonderful new edition that stays true to the original. The graphics have been wonderfully redone, and the sounds still sound great. The multiplayer component to this game was a very pleasant surprise, and overall, this is a fantastic game to pick up for your XBOX 360.

Sean Gibson has been the owner and Executive Editor of Gaming Illustrated for over eleven years. His roles include acting as CEO and President of Gaming Illustrated, LLC and also includes being a reviewer, previewer and interviewer. Sean's opinions on this site do not reflect those of his full-time employer.